It was only a month-and-a-half ago that the league reached its deadline for giving fourth-year players extensions on their rookie contracts, a gamble that took an especially uncertain turn with this crop because their development was interrupted by the league’s lockout last year.

Still, seven players were given extensions, and in some cases, those contracts already look like they will pay off handsomely. In other cases, though, there may be some buyer’s remorse.

Max questions

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had little choice, of course, but to sign Griffin to a maximum five-year deal that will be worth $100 million if he is an All-Star or is voted an All-NBA player. That’s big money, of course, and it is somewhat worrisome to see Griffin average 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds, both career lows. But some of that can be attributed to the fact that the Clippers are a much better team and don’t need to rely on Griffin—though his numbers are down, he actually has improved tremendously with his jumper and his defense, two areas of concern.

James Harden, Houston Rockets. It was a shocker when the Rockets acquired Harden via trade just before the season, and Houston quickly gave Harden the max contract (five years, $80 million) that Oklahoma City couldn’t. Harden has produced—24.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists—but he also has slumped to 42.9 percent shooting and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line. He obviously is a star, but it remains to be seen whether he has the staying power to be elite for 82 games.

Looking like a steal

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. Curry got four years and $44 million, and that caused some consternation among Warriors fans who watched Curry struggle with ankle issues last year and have yet to see him play serious defense. Health will always be a concern for Curry given his slight build, but when he is 100 percent, he is a marquee scorer, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists, shooting 43.3 percent from the 3-point line. The more the Warriors win, the more Curry’s deal is justified.

Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia Sixers. Holiday got a notch below Curry (four years, $41 million) but could prove to be the better player. The Sixers cleared out veterans Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams in order to let Holiday shine more, and it has worked—Holiday is averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 assists, and if he is able to reduce his turnovers and develop a finer touch with his passes, he will be an ideal point guard, able to beat defenses with scoring and playmaking. He is only 22 years old, so he is still developing.

DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors. OK, DeRozan is not exactly a steal, not at four years, $38 million, with the possibility of slightly more. But he is only 23 and has shown steady improvement, averaging 18.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, both career highs. He also has gotten better defensively, one of the big worries about his game, and compared to deals given to Jeff Green (four years, $36 million) and Gerald Wallace (four years, $40 million), this could wind up being a good contract.

On second thought

Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls. Four years and $38 million seemed a little hefty for Gibson, an excellent defender who hasn’t done much offensively. Problem is, he has done even less offensively since signing the deal, averaging 5.9 points on 41.7 percent shooting, both career lows. He is averaging 5.9 rebounds, also a career low.

Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets have gotten off to a disappointing start, and Lawson has been at the forefront of that. He set the market when it came to extensions for the point guards in this group, getting a four-year, $48 million deal, but hasn’t justified it out of the gate. He is averaging 14.2 points and 7.0 assists, but has slumped with his shooting, making 41.6 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from the 3-point line, both career lows.